NEW YORK — Fans and media dealt with a heavy police presence ahead of Monday’s NBA Finals game between the Knicks and Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
President Donald Trump is attending the game, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Finals game. As a result, protective fencing was erected around parts of the arena and police were stationed everywhere, with a presence stretching a few blocks away from the arena to ensure safety.
Secret Service and TSA agents were on site and helped screen fans and media on their way into the arena. Media and Garden employees entered at the Tower B entrance they usually arrive through, but first had to pass through a protective gate that was part of the perimeter fencing installed for security purposes.
The Knicks announced fans would not be allowed to bring bags into the arena and were encouraged arrive up to two hours before tipoff to avoid security delays. Ticket prices for Game 3, which were starting as high as $11,000 early Saturday, dropped significantly as security protocols for the president’s attendance have helped depress the NBA Finals resale market. As of Monday afternoon, low-end, get-in prices began at less than $5,000 per ticket.
Two hours before tipoff, lines of fans snaked down the streets surrounding MSG.
Fan parties outside the arena were also cancelled because of the president’s appearance, with one moved to nearby Bryant Park.
Beginning at 4 p.m., the NYPD closed streets to the public between West 30th and West 35th, from Eighth Ave. to Sixth Ave., to prepare for Trump’s arrival. Those street closures applied to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The arena opened to the media around 4:30 p.m. On their way into the arena, reporters’ bags were screened by TSA and wanded by Secret Service agents. Pregame media locker access for both the Spurs and Knicks was restricted on Wednesday in light of Trump’s visit, a rarity in the NBA.
Fans with train or game tickets were allowed to enter the arena on foot. Access to Penn Station was limited to the west side entrance on Eighth Avenue, which is outside the secure area.
Trump spent the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., after arriving Friday night from an event in Wisconsin. The president is scheduled to head to the arena in the early evening and watch the game, before returning to Washington, though he reportedly hasn’t ruled out attending Game 4 on Wednesday.
Trump is a longtime friend of Knicks owner James Dolan, and it’s unknown if Trump will sit alongside Dolan at his usual seat behind the Knicks basket or if the president will be seated in a suite, which would be easier for security purposes.
The Knicks are up 2–0 in the series, chasing their first championship since 1973. The last NBA Finals appearance for the Knicks was in 1999. The Spurs’ last title came in 2014, the fifth and final one of the Tim Duncan/Gregg Popovich dynasty.
